


Frozen Wolves

by ErikaWilliams



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Kitty Noct, M/M, Shifter AU, Werepanthers, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 10:18:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16116368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErikaWilliams/pseuds/ErikaWilliams
Summary: They would say he deserved it though for going outside the village so close to nightfall.  He would become another cautionary tale for the next generation about why they were supposed to stay away from the woods and definitely the things that lived in them.





	Frozen Wolves

They were hunting him. At first, Gladio could only hear them in the distance, their mournful howls echoing through the trees as he poked at the fire. He considered leaving before they could get too close. Bury the fire in the snow and find somewhere safer. Preferably back inside the walls of the village. He could always try to find his own way to the cabin. It wouldn’t be nearly as safe as the village, but it would be better than his current location.

Trying to find the cabin on his own provided a new set of problems. He might get lost in the snow and never be able to find his way back. He might accidentally wander onto the lake and fall through thin ice, freezing to death in the icy waters. Besides, if he went to the cabin now, he would be there alone and miss his rendezvous.

Another mournful howl drifted through the lightly falling snow, and he shivered as he pushed a dangling log back onto the fire. He should have worn the rabbit fur hat Iris had made him, but his replacement on guard duty had been late to arrive and he had been too impatient to bother going back to the house to grab it. So he hadn’t said goodbye to Iris either, and if the wolves killed him she would never know what had happened to him. No one would.

They would say he deserved it though for going outside the village so close to nightfall. He would become another cautionary tale for the next generation about why they were supposed to stay away from the woods and definitely the things that lived in them.

The wolves were coming closer. He thought he could pick out at least six distinct callers, maybe more. If they were ordinary wolves and well fed, the heat and fury of his fire should be enough to deter them. If they weren’t, well, he didn’t want to think about it too closely. His halberd rested against the log next to him, silver blade reflecting the sparks of the fire.

If they weren’t regular wolves, it wouldn’t be over until they were all dead or he was. And if even one of them managed to bite him, he might as well be dead. They would never let him back into the village alive, and the wolves would never accept him as one of their own. He could leave. He might still have enough time to make it back to the village and get nothing more than a stern reprimand from his father.

He couldn’t go back. His contact was never too late. In fact, it was quite unlike him. He might have run into some trouble of his own. He might have been involved with the very wolves that were closing in on him now. They were close enough that he could hear their barking and growling in between the howls. He pulled his halberd across his lap, flexing his toes to make sure they were warm and ready to go. It was deathly cold out here, but it would all be worth it.

There was no time left for him to run. The wolves were too close, he could see the one slinking through the woods. They were definitely coming after him, those blood thirsty beasts. He pushed himself to his feet and pulled a burning branch from the fire, halberd secure in his other hand. The wolves were ugly, misshapen things with missing patches of fur and half formed snouts. Half breeds, stalking through the wood towards him. He could see at least seven of them. There could be more behind him. The pure bloods didn’t dare come after him themselves. Smart.

They were closing in, but he refused to give up his ground. He moved to the other side of the fire, using it as a barrier between him and whatever might be behind him. They might outnumber him, but they weren’t that bright, especially when they were in their wolf form. He could handle this, and he might still get his rendezvous.

The front wolf decided it was done toying with him, and it lunged forward. Gladio threw his burning torch at it, catching it square in the chest. He transferred the halberd to both hands. He thrust it at the next closest wolf, but it skirted the path. He swung the halberd in an arc to the left, missing the other wolf. The one he hit with the branch was rolling around in the snow, trying to quench the flames licking at its body. He needed to take more of them out since they were not going to stop until he was dead. He would have to kill them before they could scratch or bite or kill him.

Easier said than done. He kept missing his targets. They were too fast for him, and they were spread too thin. You weren’t supposed to take on a whole pack of wolves on your own. It was one of the most important rules they were taught. It was nearly impossible.

A panther jumped on the back of one of the wolves, digging its teeth into the back of its neck. The wolves were distracted by the newcomer, and he used the opportunity to lop off the head of the wolf nearest him.

Now that three of their own were dead, the remaining wolves were not so sure of their odds. They snipped at him a few more times before they took off. They would be back, but he would be long gone by then, and they wouldn’t be able to find them. He studied the panther as it crawled off the body of the wolf. The panther looked back at him with glowing purple eyes.

“Cutting it a little close there, aren’t you?” he said, resting the halberd back against the log. They would need to move soon, but there should be enough time for him to catch his breath. He kicked some snow over the fire, aware that the panther was watching him. “What?” he asked, turning to face the cat.

The panther took a few steps towards him before breaking into a run. “No, don’t-” he started, but the panther leaped towards him. He caught it in his arms, two large paws coming to rest on his shoulders. “You’re a troublemaker,” he said to the panther that he could have sworn was smirking at him.

Within a minute, the panther shifted in his arms and a very naked Noct was on him instead. “Just so you know, I ruined my only set of clothes I had with me to save your sorry ass,” Noct told him before leaning in to kiss him. His mouth blocked the chill, but they couldn’t stay out there forever. Not with Noct’s bare skin shivering under his touch and with the wolves coming back with reinforcements.

“We’ll just have to find another way to warm you up,” he growled, placing his forehead against Noct’s. Ways they could explore once they were safely in the cabin.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Noct said, kissing him again before shifting back into a panther. Noct hopped down into the snow, and Gladio picked up his halberd. 

“Lead the way,” he told Noct as the panther started to slink away.


End file.
